Jillian Rose of Fairfield Honored with Wholeness of Life Award

Fairfield (Conn.) Patch—November 19, 2012

Jillian Rose, LMSW, of Fairfield has received the Wholeness of Life Award, a prestigious honor presented annually by Hospital for Special Surgery/Healthcare Chaplaincy. Rose is manager of the LupusLine® and Charla de Lupus® (Lupus Chat) Programs at Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. The hospital has an Affiliated Physicians Office in Greenwich.

The prestigious award is presented annually to a member of the hospital staff who has made a significant contribution to the quality of patient care by understanding and responding to the needs of the whole person in body, mind, and spirit.

At a standing-room only ceremony at Special Surgery, colleagues described Rose as "passionate, dedicated and fearless; smart and thoughtful; uniquely beautiful both inside and out; an outstanding role model; a visionary."

In choosing Rose for the 2012 award, the Hospital for Special Surgery selection committee said, "Jillian's support for patients, families and communities is unique. She constantly raises the bar and goes far above and beyond to determine the critical needs of patients, their families, communities and staff – and equally important, goes about finding solutions."

Many of Rose's colleagues had high praise for her. Lou Shapiro, president and CEO of Hospital for Special Surgery, commended Jillian as an "outstanding colleague, leader, caregiver and person."

"The lives Jillian touches are often challenged by sustained illness, loss, indifference, confusion, social injustice, and physical and emotional pain," said Roberta Horton, LCSW, ACSW, director, Department of Social Work Programs at the hospital. "Jillian moves toward, not away, from these disruptions and intervenes with empathy, compassion, hope, strategic thinking and problem-solving. I have never met a person or professional with such an unwavering depth of caring and joyful determination, tireless and timeless."

Michael Lockshin, M.D., director of the Barbara Volcker Center for Women and Rheumatic Disease at Special Surgery, called Rose a "true miracle worker… with a beautiful and electric smile." Dr. Lockshin, who received the first Wholeness of Life Award at the hospital 25 years ago, said, "Her energy and ability to create new things in the way of outreach are outstanding," and noted that Rose has presented her research at national and international meetings.

Rose, who joined Hospital for Special Surgery eight years ago, said she was truly humbled by the award. "I'm filled with emotion," she said, "I love my job. I come to work every day, and I get paid to do this. How awesome and wonderful is that?"

Rose has a lengthy list of accomplishments and has already been recognized for her work with underserved communities. Under her direction, over a five-year period, Special Surgery's lupus peer support and education programs grew by nearly 40 percent and provided approximately 25,000 interventions to patients, families and communities affected by lupus.

This year, the Charla de Lupus/Lupus Chat® Program received the American Hospital Association's HAVE Award (Hospital Awards for Volunteer Excellence) for an outstanding volunteer program in the category of community outreach and collaboration.

In 2010, Rose received the Emerging Social Work Leader Award from the National Association of Social Workers, New York City Chapter.

Despite her busy schedule, Rose still finds time to serve her community outside of the hospital, volunteering at a housing shelter to feed the homeless. Every three months, she sponsors a dinner for more than 100 adults. She is also a founder/leader of the Sister 2 Sister Young Woman's Mentorship Program and a team organizer for the AIDS Walk in New York City.

Horton recalls how she once asked Rose how she could agree to volunteer for yet another activity, as her plate was already so full. She smiled and said, "Well, maybe I'll just have a bigger plate."